WITH the Rugby World Cup around the corner, 505 Games is tapping into the excitement by releasing the official game of the tournament. Gamers will be able to take control of all 20 participating countries including England, New Zealand and South Africa. In the tournament mode, they can pick one team and take them to glory, with the option of playing with randomised pools of teams so every playthrough is different. Rugby World Cup 2011boasts a host of features that promise to thrill rugby fans and sports gamers.

We’ve seen our rugby titles perform well in the past, and have high expectations. Alastair Jarvis, HB Studios

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These include one-on-one online multiplayer matches over Xbox Live and PSN, the ability to change game rules, kick takers and weather and wind settings, as well as a Warm Up tour mode where teams from the Northern and Southern hemisphere can battle it out.

A WINNING CATCH

The title is in safe hands. Canadian developer HB Studios has built a strong reputation for producing quality, top-selling sports games including Rugby 08, FIFA 11on PSP and NHL 09(see ‘HB quality’). HB has focused on making the gameplay in Rugby World Cup 2011 ‘fast, fluid, fun and flowing’. The title is easy to pick up but hard to master, so making runs or scoring tries are as enjoyable as possible. Even the graphics engine has been created especially for the game. “The Rugby World Cup is

probably the biggest sporting event that’ll happen this year, and it’s the first time we’ll see a rugby union game in the HD era,” HB Studios GM Alastair Jarvis tells MCV. “We’ve seen our rugby titles perform well in the past, and with the build-up to the World Cup this year, we’re seeing a huge amount of excitement and anticipation for this title. We have high expectations for how it will perform.”

32 July 8th 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011

The first rugby union game in four years barges its way to retail featuring the official World Cup licence. Dominic Sacco went hands-on with the title and chatted to developer HB Studios to find out more